HybridCars.com » Alejandro Agaghttp://www.hybridcars.com
Auto alternatives for the 21st centuryFri, 31 Jul 2015 13:14:21 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2First Formula E Test Session Underwayhttp://www.hybridcars.com/first-formula-e-test-session-underway/
http://www.hybridcars.com/first-formula-e-test-session-underway/#commentsFri, 04 Jul 2014 14:15:38 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=164729The EV championship known as Formula E is holding its first official test session July 3 and 4. E.dams-Renault’s Sebastien Buemi set the fastest time during July 3’s official test for the new FIA Formula E Championship at Donington Park, as fans got their first glimpse of the new all-electric series. The first of five […]

]]>The EV championship known as Formula E is holding its first official test session July 3 and 4.

E.dams-Renault’s Sebastien Buemi set the fastest time during July 3’s official test for the new FIA Formula E Championship at Donington Park, as fans got their first glimpse of the new all-electric series.

The first of five public tests took place at the Leicestershire circuit in dry, bright conditions and saw all 10 teams and drivers use the full Donington Park GP circuit, modified to include an additional chicane at the exit to the Old Hairpin, declared the series organizers.

Being the first outing for many of the drivers, the day focused on getting to grips with the Spark-Renault SRT_01E cars with German driver Daniel Abt, driving for Audi Sport Abt, laying down the early benchmark for the morning session. The German, who ended the day eighth overall after missing the afternoon session due to other commitments, lapped in the low 1:37s, closely followed by Buemi and Andretti’s Franck Montagny.

Formula E said times began to tumble in the afternoon session with Buemi once again on the pace, posting a 1:35.475s with under an hour to go and holding on to the top spot until the end of the day. Abt’s Lucas di Grassi finished over a half a second shy of the Swiss despite only running during the afternoon session with Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird a further three-tenths back in third. Mahindra Racing’s Bruno Senna ran well all day to finish fourth with Venturi’s new signing and ex-Le Mans driver Stephane Sarrazin rounding out the top-five during his first outing in a fully-electric single-seater.

“I’m more than happy to be honest,” said Sebastien Buemi. “I didn’t have any problems with the car at all and that meant we were able to learn quite a lot about it. It’s always nice to be P1 so let’s hope it continues tomorrow.”

Nicolas Prost of team e.dams-Renault and son of four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost finished sixth to edge out Jarno Trulli with Virgin Racing’s Jaime Alguersuari and Mahindra Racing’s Karun Chandhok completing the top-10.

The day also saw outings for several of the championship’s new signings including Amlin Aguri duo Katherine Legge and Antonio Felix da Costa, Venturi’s Nick Heidfeld, Trulli’s Michela Cerruti and Dragon Racing’s Mike Conway.

Former F1 racer Jerome d’Ambrosio and Spain’s Antonio Garcia tested for China Racing with Scott Speed making his test debut for Andretti – sharing the car with IndyCar legend and Formula E ambassador Gil de Ferran.

“Today’s first test has been a special occasion for everyone involved with the FIA Formula E Championship,” said Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E. “This project has been a long time coming but to see all the cars and drivers taking part is a very proud moment and my thanks goes to all our investors, partners, teams and Formula E personnel for transforming the FIA’s dream into a reality.”

Agag also said day two of testing gets underway July 4 at 9 am with free access to fans, including a pitlane walk.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/first-formula-e-test-session-underway/feed/0Prost Jumps Into Formula Ehttp://www.hybridcars.com/prost-jumps-into-formula-e/
http://www.hybridcars.com/prost-jumps-into-formula-e/#commentsFri, 25 Oct 2013 05:27:09 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=84649Four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost has joined forces with Jean-Paul Driot, founder of leading GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 team Dams, to enter the FIA Formula E Championship. They will be competing as a new team named e.dams. The new team launch, held at the L’Atelier Renault on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, was […]

]]>Four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost has joined forces with Jean-Paul Driot, founder of leading GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 team Dams, to enter the FIA Formula E Championship.

They will be competing as a new team named e.dams.

The new team launch, held at the L’Atelier Renault on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, was attended by racing legend Alain Prost and Jean-Paul Driot, together with FIA President Jean Todt and Alejandro Agag, CEO of series promoters Formula E Holdings.

e.dams now becomes the fifth team to sign an agreement with Formula E Holdings to compete in the new fully-electric race series.

The first race of the series will be held in September 2014 and the championship features 10 races through the heart of some of the world’s leading cities.

e.dams joins Andretti Autosport, Dragon Racing, UK-based Drayson Racing and Chinese team China Racing as one of the 10 teams to be submitted to the FIA for final approval by its World Motor Sport Council.

The e.dams Formula E team said it will be supported with logistical and technical assistance by European squad Dams (Driot Associés Motor Sport).

With four F1 titles (1985 & 86, 1989 & 1993), 51 GP victories and 108 podiums to his name, Alain Prost remains one of the sport’s most successful racing drivers with the Frenchman very much looking forward to being a part of the new zero emission series.

“I am very happy to be a part of the Formula E adventure”, said Alain Prost. “Being able to actively participate in the development of this new technology, which is 100 percent electric is extremely motivating. As we’ve seen in other championships, 2014 will see a move towards more sustainable racing, proving more than ever that motorsport is the benchmark for the future.”

Based near Le Mans, Dams boasts almost 25 years’ experience with numerous team and driver titles to its name including three International F3000 Championships, two A1GP titles, two Auto GP titles, two GP2 Asia titles and one team and two GP2 drivers’ titles.

The squad has also expanded into Formula Renault 3.5 where last weekend it claimed the team and drivers’ title in its second season.

“Getting involved with the FIA Formula E Championship was an obvious choice”, said Jean-Paul Driot. “Being the race enthusiast that I am, I was immediately convinced by this new concept of using fully electric single-seater cars and believe it will shape the future of motorsport. The implementation of new technologies, in the heart of the most beautiful cities in the world and in front of a young audience, lays the path for a new form of motorsport, which is innovative and respectful to the environment. I am extremely proud to be a part of this new challenge.”

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/prost-jumps-into-formula-e/feed/0Formula E Calendar Unveiledhttp://www.hybridcars.com/formula-e-calendar-unveiled/
http://www.hybridcars.com/formula-e-calendar-unveiled/#commentsMon, 30 Sep 2013 04:27:09 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=75553Readers looking forward to a series showcasing electric race cars will be able to start making plans. Formula E’s provisional 2014/2015 calendar featuring 10 city-center events over four continents, has been revealed. The championship will begin with Beijing, China, on September the 20th 2014. The inaugural calendar was proposed to the FIA during its World […]

]]>Readers looking forward to a series showcasing electric race cars will be able to start making plans. Formula E’s provisional 2014/2015 calendar featuring 10 city-center events over four continents, has been revealed.

The championship will begin with Beijing, China, on September the 20th 2014.

The inaugural calendar was proposed to the FIA during its World Motor Sport Council in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and will run from September 2014 to June 2015. Beijing will have the honour of hosting the world’s first fully-electric race while London is set to stage the season finale (Round 10) on June 27th 2015.

Three new venues have also been added from the original list of cities which was announced earlier this year (March). Uruguay’s picturesque beach resort of Punta del Este, the glamorous harbour of Monte Carlo and one of the world’s leading financial centers Hong Kong.

These replace Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Bangkok which will instead be considered as candidate cities for the coming Formula E seasons.

After the opening round in Beijing, the 10 teams and 20 drivers of the FIA Formula E Championship will remain in Asia for Rounds 2 and 3, with Putrajaya, the federal administrative centre of Malaysia on October 18th 2014, followed by Hong Kong on November 8th 2014.

From here, the series heads to South America with Round 4 in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on December 13th 2014 before starting the New Year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for Round 5 on January 10th. The series then heads to North America for Rounds 6 and 7 with Los Angeles on February 14th 2015 and Miami on April 18th 2015.

The season then moves to Europe for the final three rounds beginning with Monte Carlo, Monaco, on May 9th 2015 followed by the German capital of Berlin on May 30th 2015 where the former airport of Tempelhof has already been revealed as the circuit location.

The inaugural season then ends in London, UK, on June 27, 2015.

Formula E said the provisional calendar will now be considered by the FIA before being finalized during the December FIA World Motor Sport Council.

“We’re very excited to be revealing our provisional calendar today and thankful to all the cities that have agreed to host our Formula E races, as well as those that had shown interest,” said Alejandro Agag, CEO of Championship promoters Formula E Holdings. “Since launching the Championship last year we have received formal offers from more than 25 cities all over the world making choosing just 10 very difficult indeed. Today’s provisional calendar sees us race in the heart of some of the most well-known cities in the world providing a fantastic backdrop and showcasing electric vehicles in their favored urban environments. We will now focus on finalizing the design of each of the circuits as well as working closely with all our partners to ensure we deliver each of these events in the most sustainable way possible. To be in this position with one year still to go until the first race is a testament to the interest Formula E is generating around the world and the commitment cities have shown to clean mobility and sustainability, not to mention all the hardwork undertaken by our Operations Team. Today is a very exciting day for the future of motorsport and we can’t wait for the first race to begin!”

All Formula E events will feature a free practice session, qualifying session, one-hour race and live music concert taking place in a single day (Saturday) in order to minimize disruption to the city and its surrounding areas. Precise circuit layouts for each venue will be revealed at a later stage but all will use city-centre locations.